hestiaresidence

[hestiaresidence]

#3

[hestiaresidence]

Late for home

I looked at the time. 6:04PM. My back was starting to hurt, sitting in the cramped driver’s seat of my 2008 Toyota Corolla that I’d definitely outgrown. Usually I would be home by 5:30PM, and happily helping my wife with dinner right now. Instead, I was at a complete standstill in traffic, smelling cheap pine air freshener, and listening to a radio weatherman warn about the oncoming week of rain.

It wouldn’t be Seattle without more rain, I thought to myself as I turned off the radio and let my eyes wander among the sea of red brake lights in front of me. Today’s work day has been tough. I almost got into an argument with my manager about his refusal to publish my paper that I spent the last few months working on. He won’t tell me specifically why he’s rejecting it, but I suspect it’s because he’s afraid that I will get promoted faster than him and replace him. I gripped my steering while a bit tighter. I will make sure he does not stop me from doing my best work.

Another arduous thirty minutes later, I pulled into the parking space in my underground apartment. Getting out of the car always made me feel like a giant crawling out of a hobbit hole, and today was no exception. I felt my whole body expand as I stretched my arms out over my head, and wondered if my car was going to make me grow into one of those old hunchbacks. My day job sitting at my desk all day certainly won’t help. At least my apartment has an elevator.

When I opened the door to my apartment, I was greeted with the smell of burning with a hint of rosemary and thyme. My wife’s face popped out sheepishly from the kitchen.

“Uhh… I totally didn’t burn a steak! That wasn’t me! What’s that burning smell in the air?”

“No clue my sweetie!”

I couldn’t help but smile seeing my wife with her hair tied back, wearing an apron and wielding a spatula. She looked like a nervous first time soldier, ready for battle in the kitchen. Her worried yet adorable face gave me an indescribable urge to scoop her up and plant a kiss on her cheek. I resist the urge and quickly stride into the kitchen to turn off the heat.

“Seems like someone was having some fun in the kitchen!”

“No please, I wasn’t! It was getting late, and I didn’t want to sit here waiting for you!”

I look at the blackened glistening steak sitting in the pan. Despite being a bit darker than usual, it still felt tender when poked with a fork.

“You know what, it doesn’t look too bad actually! Just a bit charred on the edges. I’m sure it will still taste great!

“Are you sure?” Her voice was untrusting.

“Yes, yes of course! This is amazing for someone who rarely cooks!”

It was at this point that I picked her up and gave her a tight hug, with one arm holding her back and one arm over her shoulders. I could feel her body relax into mine, and she leaned her head into my shoulders, leaving my whole body in goosebumps. I sank my own head into her hair, and breathed in her lavender shampoo and conditioner, and we stayed that way for a bit, in our home sweet home.

#3

[hestiaresidence]

#3

[hestiaresidence]

#2

[hestiaresidence]

After a long week of school

I can still see the red ink on the paper as if it was etched into my mind. The number weighed heavier on my shoulders than my backpack full of textbooks. I had failed? How was that possible? The midterm was hard, but I didn’t think it was impossible. Was I going to pass the final? A hundred questions swirled in my mind, and the drone of the bus engine compounded my restlessness.

Suddenly, the bus lurched to a halt at Hastings & Pender, and the doors pulled back to reveal the unrelenting rain outside. Still wallowing in my misfortunes, I absent-mindedly pulled on my hood, called out “thank you” to the bus driver, and stepped out into the downpour. The bus roared away, leaving me in the Friday night rain with Starboy blasting from my plastic earbuds.

It was a short walk from the bus station to my house, but by the time I was opening my gate, my shoes squelched with every step I took and I could barely see because my glasses were covered in droplets. My house keys were cold and wet when I fished them out of my pocket and stepped into the warm recesses of my home.

I could almost feel the stress wash away from my body as I took off my wet shoes, and savoured the warmth wrapping around me. The house was alive with the smells of homemade beef soup and the sounds of my parents’ chatter upstairs as they cooked. My brother must’ve heard the door open because he poked his face out from upstairs and looked down at me.

“HELLO!”, he yelled, in the slightly sarcastic yet whimsical tone we always had when we talked to each other.

I looked up and grinned.

“HELLO!”, I mirrored his tone. “Playing Minecraft again?”

“What? No! Of course not! I’ve been doing my homework! I have been since I got back!”,

“Okay, buddy…”

I quickly shrugged off my backpack and jacket, which fell to the ground in a soggy heap. I can deal with them and my marks later. I bounded up the stairs to see how I can help with dinner.

My brother had returned to his seat at the far end of the table, with his laptop faced away from my mom and dad, presumably doing some homework. My mom was rolling out a huge sheet of dough, and looked up as I came into the living room.

“You’re back! How was your week?”

“Was okay. How was work?”

“Same old. You better be eating enough there. We can’t always keep an eye on you. You have to take care of yourself.”

“Of course, mom. Look at me! Healthy as can be!” I did a little curtsey.

“Sheesh, as if. You’re so skinny. No wonder you get sick so much. Look at your brother, he eats so much, and never gets sick.”

“Yea! And you know what, I’m taller than you were when you were my age!”, my brother chimed in. He could never pass up an opportunity to add to the banter.

“Whatever! I feel like I am at the perfect weight!” I was unfazed. “Come on, you must be so tired after a day of work. Let me roll out the dough.”

I wrestled the rolling pin out of my mom’s hands after much protest, and started rolling. Pretty soon, I had completely forgotten about the midterm, as well as any school-related worries. The only thing that mattered was my dough, my family, my home sweet home.

#2

[hestiaresidence]

#2

[hestiaresidence]

#1

[hestiaresidence]

Visiting Home as a Child

I don’t know why my mom loved coming back to China. Walking along its dreary streets, there wasn’t much to love.

The sky above was a monotone grey. The thick smog blocked out some of the harshness of the sun’s rays, but it also created a humid, impermeable atmosphere that weighed down on everything. Between the smog and the fine layer of dirt covering every surface, the streets were inhospitable and cold, deprived of any vibrance it might have once left. Every few blocks my nostrils would get assaulted by the pungent smell of sewage, and I’d pinch my nose in disgust.

I missed the Canadian blue skies, the crisp green grass, the fresh air. I looked up at my mom, who was unphased, with a smile that stretched cheek to cheek - I could almost feel her excitement in every step that she took.  

Pretty soon we arrived at the restaurant, and stepped through the cheaply decorated glass doors, into the cold air conditioned interior.

“Hey, you guys finally got here! Took you long enough!”.

My Uncle called out to us from the back of the restaurant in a heavy accent. He was sitting at a big table near the back of the restaurant, along with the rest of my mom’s family. I can’t remember the last time I saw him, or any of my other relatives. He got up and limped towards us as we approached. I remember my mom telling me that his limp was the result of my grandfather beating him with a metal pipe when he was younger. I cringed at the thought.

“How was the train ride, lil sis? Beijing to Yinchuan is the fastest it’s ever been. The government is working wonders here, expanding infrastructure all over China.” My Uncle gave a chuckle, and I could smell the cigarettes and alcohol in his breath.

“Yea, it was really fast, seeing the top speed go up to 300km/h. Isn’t it Charles?”, my mom responded enthusiastically, and prodded me to join in.

“Yea.”

I actually preferred the old overnight trains with beds, where you can eat instant noodles and watch the countryside roll by, but I kept it to myself.  

“Well, let’s not waste any time! You guys must be starving, I already ordered a bunch of dishes. Here’s the menu, you can pick some more! I bet you guys don’t have this steamed lamb in Canada!”.

My uncle was right. We didn’t have steamed lamb in Canada. And it was one of my favourites. We all sat down and greeted everyone around the table. They were all excited to see us, almost as if we were celebrities. I was overwhelmed with the amount of love and liveliness around the table. It was certainly a different experience from our three person family in Canada. I could see my mom’s shoulders relaxing as she answered everyone’s burning questions, and caught up with her family. It was then, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of my relatives, that I realized no matter how dirty or culturally different China is, it will always be my mom’s home sweet home.

#1

[hestiaresidence]

#1